NHL

Avs embracing demeanor of coach Patrick Roy

DENVER (AP)

Just the other day in a scrimmage, captain Gabriel Landeskog
mixed it up along the boards with Steve Downie. That feistiness is
precisely what the new coach wants to see from a team that's missed
the playoffs three straight seasons.

''You need to come with a different attitude,'' said Roy, the
Hall of Fame goaltender who captured two Stanley Cup titles with
the Avalanche. ''Sometimes with new vision, you just have to give
it a try. They've been giving it that try.''

These days, Roy is preaching a simple message: Take care of the
little things on the ice, such as clearing loose pucks in front of
the net.

''You can't emphasis details too much,'' Landeskog said. ''He's
seen all the details. He's a good one to teach you.''

Roy has some help, too, with former teammate Joe Sakic stepping
into a broader role in the front office this season and handling
the day-to-day hockey operations. Roy and Sakic are hoping their
reunion can restore some luster to this downtrodden franchise.

''Those guys that were stars are now dedicating themselves to
getting the team back to where it was when they were playing,''
said forward Alex Tanguay, who played alongside Roy and Sakic when
Colorado won the Cup in 2001. ''You look at their resumes, when
they're going to tell you something, we know that they've been
around. The message is going to be something that they lived.

''This is a new beginning for this team.''

Matt Duchene couldn't agree more, saying this season already has
a ''way different feel.''

''Roy's passion and knowledge of the game is so great,'' Duchene
said. ''It's going to be really exciting to work with a guy like
that.''

Here are five things to know as the Avalanche head into the
season:

THE KID IS ALL RIGHT: There's a clear reason the Avs selected
Nathan MacKinnon with the No. 1 pick: He can make things happen on
the ice. The 18-year-old had 32 goals and 43 assists in 44 games
for the Halifax Mooseheads last season.

Roy wants MacKinnon just to play his game, not feel like he has
to do everything by himself.

''We don't want Nathan to come here to be our savior,'' Roy
said. ''We want Nathan to be the (best) player he can be.''

LEADER OF THE PACK: Landeskog was named the youngest captain in
league history last season, an honor that came with plenty of
pressure.

Being so young, Landeskog had to learn how to be a leader as he
went along. There were no textbooks to follow.

And when things reached a boiling point late last season, it was
veteran goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere who stepped in, calling
out some of his teammates for focusing on postseason vacation plans
in Las Vegas and not their performance on the ice.

Landeskog appreciated the assist.

''There are a lot of great guys around here who are going to
help me,'' said Landeskog, who turns 21 in November.

GETTING DEFENSIVE: The Avalanche received very little scoring
from their defensemen in the lockout-abbreviated season, something
Roy urgently wants to remedy. It all starts with Erik Johnson, the
former No. 1 overall pick by the St. Louis Blues who's had seven
goals - none last season - since being acquired by the Avalanche on
Feb. 18, 2011.

''I'm confident he's going to have a very good year,'' Roy said.
''We're going to work hard with him to not live in the past.''

BLAST FROM THE PAST: Walking into the dressing room, Tanguay
spotted a picture of former Avalanche defenseman Ray Bourque
skating around with the trophy from `01.

A member of that team, the 33-year-old Tanguay returns to Denver
this season after being acquired in a trade with Calgary.

''This is a new year and I understand how hard you have to work
to be successful in this league,'' Tanguay said.

NET GAIN: Goaltender Semyon Varlamov not only has Roy to rely
on, but also the person who mentored Roy in coach Francois
Allaire.

During the offseason, Varlamov and Allaire worked on changing
the young goaltender's style.

''I won't tell you how I'm going to play this year,'' Varlamov
said, smiling. ''But I think it's going to help me in the
future.''

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